The Black Myths Podcast
The Black Myth Podcast is an informative conversational show analyzing popular myths about Black culture of a sociopolitical nature. Translation: We debunk the bs said about Black People. Host - Too Black. Co-hosts - Shelle, Terrell, Kam, and Ryan.
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Myth: The State is the Government (w/ Rasul Mowatt)
04/09/2024
Myth: The State is the Government (w/ Rasul Mowatt)
Continuing with themes related to the new book, Laundering Black Rage: The Washing of Black Death, People, Property, and Profits, we explore the myth that the State is reducible to government with our guest Rasul Mowatt, Department Head of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management in the College of Natural Resources and Affiliate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Carolina State University. We explore the origins of the State, theorists of the State, and how it informs anti-colonial movements. If the State is not simply the government, then how are we to understand it? We explore this question and more. Laundering Black Rage is now available on pre-order and will be available worldwide on April 11th. To purchase it at a discounted rate please follow the instructions below. Type Discount code at checkout: EFLY01 Discounted Ebook Original Essays Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Patreon
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Myth: Racial Reckoning 2020
03/29/2024
Myth: Racial Reckoning 2020
In this episode, department head and North Carolina State University professor, Rasul Mowatt joins as a guest host to interview our host, Too Black regarding their joint coauthored book Laundering Black Rage: The Washing of Black Death, People, Property, and Profits. We use the analytic framework of the book to explore the myth of a Racial Reckoning in 2020—the idea that after the murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin in 2020, the US began a reckoning with its racial history of oppression and brutalization towards Black people. We discuss the pitfalls of reckoning with empire, the laundering of Black Rage historically, and offer reflections on writing the texts. Laundering Black Rage is now available on pre-order and will be available worldwide on April 11th. To purchase it at a discounted rate please follow the instructions below. Type Discount code at checkout: EFLY01 Discounted Ebook https://play.google.com/store/books/details?pcampaignid=books_read_action&id=cY_2EAAAQBAJ Original Essays Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths
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Myth: The Lesser Evil? w/ Dr. Joy James
02/23/2024
Myth: The Lesser Evil? w/ Dr. Joy James
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Joy James, political philosopher and Ebenezer Fitch Professor of Humanities at Williams College, about the idea of the 'lesser evil' in relation to her new book--New Bones Abolition. We reflect on police violence, movement capture, Black feminism, Erica Garner, political prisoners, caretakers and more in a wide-ranging conversation. NEW BONES ABOLITION: CAPTIVE MATERNAL AGENCY AND THE AFTERLIFE OF ERICA GARNER Patreon
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Myth: Prison is Built For Profit Pt. 3 (w/ Dr. Orisanmi Burton)
02/09/2024
Myth: Prison is Built For Profit Pt. 3 (w/ Dr. Orisanmi Burton)
For part 3 we explore the role of counterinsurgency in mass incarceration. We interview Dr. Orisanmi Burton--Assistant Professor of Anthropology at American University--about his book Tip of the Spear Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt. We analyze the four types of counterinsurgency named by Burton: Expansion, Humanization, Diversification, and Programification. Tip of the Spear Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths
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Myth: Prison is Built For Profit Pt. 2 [Fixed]
02/02/2024
Myth: Prison is Built For Profit Pt. 2 [Fixed]
In part 2, we explore the factors that drive mass incarceration. Per usual the truth is more complicated than the myth. We begin with the early history of prisons in the United States. Then we delve into the work (Golden Gulag and Abolition Geography) of geographer and abolitionist Ruth Wilson Gilmore to analyze how prisons became a fix all for social problems. We offer California as a case study to understanding prison expansion on state level. In part 3, we will explore the role counterinsurgency played in prison expansion. Golden Gulag: Prisons, Surplus, Crisis, and Opposition in Globalizing California Abolition Geography: Essays Towards Liberation https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths
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Myth: Prison is Built For Profit
01/26/2024
Myth: Prison is Built For Profit
In this episode, we examine the myth that prison is built for profit. That is, the myth that mass incarceration is driven by private profit above all else. Although there are certainly profiteers within the prison industrial complex, prisons operate at a loss. Therefore, in part 1 of this series, we explore what does not drive mass incarceration. In part two we will explore what actually drives mass incarceration. In part three we will interview, Orisanmi Burton, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and author of the book Tip of the Spear: Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt. Monologue- 00:09:40 Prison For Profit Myths - 00:14:12 Private Prisons - 00:37:24 Prison Labor - 00:45:35 Prison Fees - 00:57:24 Cost of Prison & Slavery - 01:02:54 Closing Thoughts - 01:22:57 Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2023 https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2023.html#myths Captive Labor: Stories of Involuntary Servitude https://www.aclu.org/news/human-rights/captive-labor-stories-of-involuntary-servitude Are private prisons driving mass incarceration? https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2015/10/07/private_prisons_parasite/ "Prisons Make Us Safer": And 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration Book by Victoria Law https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/659473/prisons-make-us-safer-by-victoria-law/ The Unlucky 13th: Liberalizing the Extreme https://imixwhatilike.org/2016/10/25/the-unlucky-13th-liberalizing-the-extreme/
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Black Myths in Review 2023
12/29/2023
Black Myths in Review 2023
Black Myths Pod crew reviews the myths we covered over the last year of 2023 including Patrisse Lumumba, Pan-Africanism, Political Prisoners, the Black dollar, Third World, Israel/Hamas, and Anti-Communism. Patreon
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Myth: Communism Made Me Do It (Pt. 2 w/ Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly)
11/23/2023
Myth: Communism Made Me Do It (Pt. 2 w/ Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly)
In part 2, we draw the connections between Dr. CBS's Black Scare/Red Scare Theory with the contemporary issues of today: Israel-Palestine, Stop Cop City, "Wokeism", Critical Race Theory, and the distraction that these discourses cause. Black Scare / Red Scare Theorizing Capitalist Racism in the United States Sign up for Patreon
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Myth: Communism Made Me Do It (w/ Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly)
11/14/2023
Myth: Communism Made Me Do It (w/ Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly)
In this episode, we cover the myth "Communism Made Me Do It." 'Communism Made Me Do It' is a tongue-in-cheek way of how the US blames radicalism for radicalism, instead of the US capitalist-led conditions that produce it. Since the Bolshevik Revolution, Communism, more than any other political ideology, is the boogeyman that allows radicalisms of different kinds, both anticapitalist and not, to be targeted by the US capitalist racist society. To help us debunk this myth we draw on the work of Wayne State University associate professor, Dr. Charisse Burden-Stelly in her first single-author book Black Scare / Red Scare: Theorizing Capitalist Racism in the United States. She is a critical Black Studies scholar of political theory, political economy, and intellectual history. We discuss the foundational elements that make the United States an anti-communist anti-Black society including widespread repression and propaganda. As a comrade of the show, we celebrate the publication of her book. Book Related Episodes Patreon
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Myth: The Israel-Hamas War Pt. 2
10/27/2023
Myth: The Israel-Hamas War Pt. 2
We continue our conversation with our guests Rana Nazzal Hamadeh and Musa Springer. In this episode we delve into "Operation Al Aqsa" flood of October 7th and ways to understand the attack grounded in the broader historical context discussed in Pt. 1. We also discuss the anti-solidarity myths about Palestinians being homophobic and anti-black.
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Myth: The Israel-Hamas War w/ Rana Nazzal Hamadeh and Musa Springer
10/25/2023
Myth: The Israel-Hamas War w/ Rana Nazzal Hamadeh and Musa Springer
In this episode, we explore the myth of the Israel-Hamas War with guests Rana Nazzal Hamadeh and Musa Springer beginning with the history of Israeli conquest of Palestine and the history of apart that followed. Rana is a Palestinian artist and filmmaker living between Ramallah and Ottawa on unceded Anishinaabe territory. Her photography, film, and installation works look at issues related to time, space, land, and movement, offering interventions rooted in a decolonial framework. My practice is deeply informed by the knowledge emerging from the grassroots movements for justice around me, both in Palestine and across Turtle Island. Musa Springer is a cultural worker, community organizer, and independent researcher. They are a member of the Walter Rodney Foundation, Hood Communist editor, and host of the Groundings podcast. Join the Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths
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Debate: Pooling Black Resources is Imperative to Liberation w/ Dr. Jared Ball
09/29/2023
Debate: Pooling Black Resources is Imperative to Liberation w/ Dr. Jared Ball
On this episode, Dr. Jared Ball joins us to debate the resolution — Pooling Black Resources is Imperative to Liberation— inspired by his recently released book The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power. Our host Too Black debates the affirmative while Dr. Ball debates the negative. We want to engage principled disagreements throughout the Black Left and the sociopolitical Black world. The Black Myths podcast is predicated upon debunking quantifiable myths. Our debates expand beyond fact and fiction to create a discourse around the philosophies, strategies, and ethics that govern our lives. Thus, we are more interested in you learning than anyone "winning" the debate. https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths
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Myth: Black Mecca & Cop City w/ Kamau Franklin
09/01/2023
Myth: Black Mecca & Cop City w/ Kamau Franklin
In this episode, we explore the relationship between Atlanta and Cop City in our interview with Kamau Franklin. We explore the events that precluded cop City, how the Black elite helps shield the project, and what the realities are of organizing against it. Kamau Franklin is the founder of Community Movement Builders, Inc. Kamau has been a dedicated community organizer for over thirty years, beginning in New York City and now based in Atlanta. For 18 of those years, Kamau was a leading member of a national grassroots organization dedicated to the ideas of self-determination and the teachings of Malcolm X. Join our Patreon
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Myth: Black Mecca (Atlanta)
08/25/2023
Myth: Black Mecca (Atlanta)
In this episode we cover the myth of the Black Mecca in relationship to the city of atlanta. We track the genealogy of the term and how Atlanta developed as a Black city. We cover the creation of the "new south," the rise of Maynard Jackson, the Atlanta child murders and the 1996 Olympics. We utilize "Legend of Black Mecca: Politics and Class in the Making of Modern Atlanta" by Maurice J. Hobson. Join our Patreon
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Myth: The Third World w/ Vijay Prashad Pt. 2
08/04/2023
Myth: The Third World w/ Vijay Prashad Pt. 2
In part 2, we explore the history of the Third World with the Soviet Union, the different characters of a one party state post-national liberation, and the activity in the Sahel region of Africa including the most recent coup in Niger. Vijay lays out the historical context that has led to the current coups in the region. He also clarifies how the Third World became known as an impoverished, backward place for missionary-like charity. "Niger is the fourth country in the Sahel to experience an anti-Western coup" https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/08/01/niger-is-the-fourth-country-in-the-sahel-to-experience-an-anti-western-coup/ Join Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths
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Myth: The Third World w/ Vijay Prashad
07/28/2023
Myth: The Third World w/ Vijay Prashad
We interview journalist, historian, and Marxist intellectual Vijay Prashad. We discuss the myth of the third world as a site of poverty and degradation instead of the global anti-colonial movement it once was. To gain a better understanding of the history and how it became co-opted we analyze Prashad's book "The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World." Bio Vijay is an Indian historian and journalist. He is the author of forty books, including Washington Bullets, Red Star Over the Third World, The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World, The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South, and The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power (2022), written with Noam Chomsky. Vijay is the executive director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, the chief correspondent for Globetrotter, and the chief editor of LeftWord Books (New Delhi). He also appeared in the films Shadow World (2016) and Two Meetings (2017). Join our patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths
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The Myth of the Circulating Black Dollar Pt. 2 w/ Joshua McCoy
06/05/2023
The Myth of the Circulating Black Dollar Pt. 2 w/ Joshua McCoy
For Pt. 2, we speak with former entrepreneur and current writer Joshua McCoy. We use his experience as a business owner for over 10 years to show the limitations of black business, how the (myth of the) circulating Black dollar does little to impact the day-to-day operations of Black business, and some socialist alternatives to the traditional aspects of Black business.
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The Myth of the Circulating Black Dollar @ DePaul University
05/26/2023
The Myth of the Circulating Black Dollar @ DePaul University
In this episode, we debunk the myth circulating Black Dollar at DePaul University in Chicago. We track the original claim stating "the lifespan of the dollar in the African-American community is approximately six hours." We show its questionable origins, deconstruct the concept of community, and most importantly we explore the concept of circulation. Sign up for patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths
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Myth: Prisons Rehabilitate (Reacting to the Pendleton 2 Documentary)
04/26/2023
Myth: Prisons Rehabilitate (Reacting to the Pendleton 2 Documentary)
Myth: Prisons Rehabilitate (Reacting to the Pendleton 2 In this episode, we discuss the documentary The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up directed by our co-host Too Black and TheKingTrill. The film chronicles the story of Indiana political prisoners Christopher "Naeem" Trotter and John "Balagoon" Cole who got 200 plus years for intervening to save the life of a fellow prisoner who was being brutally beaten to death by the prison guards at Pendleton prison. Our frequent listeners will be familiar with this story. We use this film as a case study to demonstrate how prisons fail to rehabilitate the people they lock up and how the Pendleton two are examples demonstrating that community rehabilitates people, not the state. We strongly encourage listeners to watch the film and if you have the capacity schedule a screening in your local area at . Film Patreon
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Myth: Torture Works (w/ Christopher Trotter and John "Balagoon" Cole)
04/03/2023
Myth: Torture Works (w/ Christopher Trotter and John "Balagoon" Cole)
In this episode, we re-explore the Pendleton 2—Indiana political prisoners Christopher "Naeem" Trotter and John "Balagoon" Cole. Recently, a documentary film entitled (directed and produced by TheKingTrill and our very own BMP host Too Black) debuted on Breakthrough News. In this film, the Pendleton 2 and witnesses who were present for the '85 uprising discuss the events that led to their imprisonment and their subsequent time in solitary confinement. However, only a portion of their interviews about solitary confinement aired in the documentary. So we are sharing the full interviews of Naeem and Balagoon on solitary. Originally, we were going to call this episode part two of our myth "Tough On Crime" but it felt more apropos to intertwine this with the myth that "torture works." Torture is an extension of counter-insurgency both domestically and internationally. Solitary confinement for political prisoners is a clear expression of such. Please view the documentary The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up and book a screening at https://chuffed.org/project/free-pendleton-2 Sign https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfAsx4u1g_Z38gZ3a70AAbwuFTpSJB_ipf2_qtepwbBz2iL7A/viewform
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Myth: Tough on Crime
03/26/2023
Myth: Tough on Crime
In this episode we cover the myth of "tough on crime." Utilizing the work of civil rights lawyer and author, Alec Karakatsanis, we explore how the tough on crime policies fail on their own premise and are therefore not not met to solve the needs of the people. Instead, tough on crime policies and as an extension "crime" itself, is largely a tool of the ruling class. We also explore policies that will help reduce what the State labels as crime such as food, housing, education, and job security.
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Myth: Afrocentricity = Pan Africanism Pt. 2 (w/ Dr. Layla Brown)
03/01/2023
Myth: Afrocentricity = Pan Africanism Pt. 2 (w/ Dr. Layla Brown)
In this episode, we continue with our conversation on the Kwame Toure vs Molefi Asante debate. We look into modern times to discuss the recent Pan-African Summit in Ghana and how it stands up to Nkrumah's version of Pan-Africanism. We also do a brief examination of the developments in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso. 00:00:51 - opening 00:03:04 - Debate continued 00:24:34 - Pan African Summit? 00:43:51 - Back to Africa 00:51:43 - Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso
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Myth: Afrocentricity = Pan Africanism (w/ Dr. Layla Brown)
02/22/2023
Myth: Afrocentricity = Pan Africanism (w/ Dr. Layla Brown)
00:00:51 - Opening 00:07:08 - What is afrocentricity? 00:23:03 - What is pan africanism? 00:44:43 - Debate: Kwame Toure vs Molefi Asante 01:20:01 - Asante response 01:46:51 - Close For this episode, we examine the distinctions between Afrocenticity and Pan-Africanism that are often conflated as one and the same with our guest Dr. Layla Brown. Dr. Layla Brown is a member of the All African People’s Revolutionary Party-GC and currently works as an Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology & Africana Studies and affiliate faculty in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Northeastern University. We explore the 1996 debate on Afrocentricity vs Pan-Africanism between Molefi Asante and Kwame Ture in a talk entitled Africa and the Future. We use this debate to help flesh out the understanding of these terms and show how the application of each term both coincides and differs. Debate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeWcBU1m5ug&t=2538s&ab_channel=MaweluluOnwuku Support our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths
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Myth: Patrice Lumumba Was Assassinated Because He Was a "Communist" Pt. 2
01/29/2023
Myth: Patrice Lumumba Was Assassinated Because He Was a "Communist" Pt. 2
For part two, we cover the events after Congolese Independence including mutiny, Belgian occupation, the U.N., and most importantly CIA meddling that led to the assassination of Lumumba. White Malice https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/white-malice/ Support our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths
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Myth: Patrice Lumumba Was Assassinated Because He Was a "Communist"
01/17/2023
Myth: Patrice Lumumba Was Assassinated Because He Was a "Communist"
In this episode, we investigate the assassination of the late Patrice Lumumba. Patrice Lumumba was a leader of the Congolese movement for independence from Belgium and subsequently became the first democratically elected prime minister of the country. 62 years ago 1961, January 17th, he was gunned down thereby changing the course of history. We honor him by offering a history of the conditions that led to his assassination and how the United States via the CIA used the inaccurate claim of communism to justify their support for his assassination. We discussed how the resources contained inside the Congo were pivotal to this tragic moment in history. We primarily pull from the thoroughly researched book White Malice: The CIA and the Covert Recolonization of Africa by Susan Williams to support our analysis. White Malice https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/white-malice/ Support our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths
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Black Myths in Review 2022
12/30/2022
Black Myths in Review 2022
We review the myths we covered throughout the year 2022. An extended version of this conversation exists on our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/blackmyths
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Laundering Black Rage w/ The Malcolm Effect (Crossover Episode)
12/23/2022
Laundering Black Rage w/ The Malcolm Effect (Crossover Episode)
This is a special crossover episode with The Malcolm Effect hosted Momodou Taal. BMP Host Too Black was interviewed by Momodou and ME special host Deej about his 2 part essay "Laundering Black Rage." The essay was discussed prior on BMP on our "profiting off of Black Death" myth/episode. In this engaging conversation Black Rage, the function of the Black Elite, and some of the means to reverse launder Black Rage. Essays Prior Episode Patreon
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Myth: Haiti Needs [MORE] Foreign Military Intervention Pt. 2 (w/ Dr. Jemima Pierre)
11/25/2022
Myth: Haiti Needs [MORE] Foreign Military Intervention Pt. 2 (w/ Dr. Jemima Pierre)
For part 2, we continue our sit down with Dr. Jemima Pierre investigating the situation in Haiti. In this episode we delve into the so-called "gang activity" in Haiti, leftist governments who have failed Haiti, the Global Fragility Act, and what is to be done to bring peace to Haiti. Jemima Pierre is Associate Professor in the Departments of African American Studies and Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is an editor and columnist for Black Agenda Report. She is also the co-cordinator for the Haiti/Americas team of the The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP), a anti-war, anti-imperialist, and pro-peace of organization of the radical black movement. Haiti and the Americas Syllabus Widespread Panic as Anti-Haitian Decree Goes into Effect in Dominican Republic Support Patreon
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Myth: Haiti Needs [MORE] Foreign Military Intervention (w/ Dr. Jemima Pierre)
11/18/2022
Myth: Haiti Needs [MORE] Foreign Military Intervention (w/ Dr. Jemima Pierre)
For this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jemima Pierre to discuss Haiti and its history of foreign intervention. Dr. Pierre explores the historical foundations that led to the influx of "gangs" in Haiti that the UN and US is now attempting to exploit as a justification for intervention. She demonstrates how Haiti has been under constant meddling since it's revolutionary inception. Jemima Pierre is Associate Professor in the Departments of African American Studies and Anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is an editor and columnist for Black Agenda Report. She is also the co-cordinator for the Haiti/Americas team of the The Black Alliance for Peace (BAP), a anti-war, anti-imperialist, and pro-peace of organization of the radical black movement. Haiti and the Americas Syllabus (BAP) Support Patreon
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Myth: Profiting Off Black Death Pt. 2
10/28/2022
Myth: Profiting Off Black Death Pt. 2
For part 2, we delve deeper into part 2 of co-host Too Black's essay, "Laundering Black Rage." We cover the three phases in which Black Rage is laundered to serve white capital via the state. We explore how the tragedy of Black Death is used to funnel Black Rage into commodity form. Throughout this process, we note how class interests within the African diaspora are fundamental to laundering Black rage into a flattened form. In our modern time, Black Rage becomes situated around Black celebrities and upper-class interests thereby cleaning Black Rage of it's militancy. We hope this analysis helps our listeners understand how Black Death cannot by itself explain why people are profiting and/or benefitting from the struggle. Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Patreon patreon.com/blackmyths
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